How to Extract Turtle Skeletons

Turtles live for hundreds of years. It's nearly impossible to collect turtle fossils of turtles that die of natural causes. A dead turtle takes nearly nine to 10 months to decompose. The full skeleton of a turtle along with the skull, shell and nails is extremely hard to find. Most of the small bones get washed away into the water. Zoo-bred turtles get buried after their natural death. The authority's collect their complete skeletons from their burial ground a few months after their death. These skeletons get preserved in museums all over the world.

Things You'll Need

  • Pick axe
  • Grape hoe
  • Peroxide solution
  • Acetone
  • Cotton ball
  • Sea salt
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Instructions

    • 1

      Dig the burial area gently with a pick axe. Be very careful not to break the bones. Normally the turtle is buried 3 feet deep. Stop digging at 3 feet and shovel away the sand with a grape hoe.

    • 2

      Collect all the bones present including the small parts. The turtles have a full skeleton structure under their shell.

    • 3

      Collect the bones under the shell and the skull separately. The bones will have tissue sticking to them. Collect the smaller bones in another container. Collect the toe nails and teeth too.

    • 4

      Pour 3 tbsp. of sea salt into 10 cups of water. Wash the bones with saltwater. Soak the skull and the bones in a peroxide solution for a week. The peroxide solution should be five parts peroxide to 95 parts water. Peroxide turns into water as it reacts with air. Cover the container and keep it in a dark room.

    • 5

      Keep the smaller bones in another peroxide container for four to five days. Take them out within a week.

    • 6

      Pour acetone on large cotton balls and rub the bones. Acetone will clear the peroxide solution. It also prevents the bones from degrading even more.

    • 7

      Repeat the same procedure for the skull and the large bones. Assemble the bone parts together to rebuild the skeleton.